Carter's boot saves All Blacks against Ireland

Related Content

All Blacks captain Richie McCaw runs at Sean O'Brian of Ireland during their rugby …

New Zealand snatched a 22-19 victory over Ireland with a desperate 79th minute goal by Dan Carter as a bruising rugby Test reached a nail-biting finish in Christchurch on Saturday.

The All Blacks were reduced to 14 men in the closing 10 minutes and were playing a lock at flanker, before sealing the win to take a 2-0 lead in the three-match series and preserve a 107-year unbeaten record against Ireland.

"It's a game we probably shouldn't have won, but the character of the team came through," New Zealand coach Steve Hansen said.

Six minutes from time, Ireland fly-half Jonathan Sexton had a chance to create history with the scores locked at 19-all but his optimistic 50-metre penalty fell short.

That gave the All Blacks a chance to sweep back downfield -- aided by Ireland conceding a scrum penalty -- where Carter had one drop goal attempt deflected in flight by Ireland before he snapped over the winner.

Hansen blamed the closeness of the result on too many unforced errors by his side.

"I'd like to give Ireland a big pat on the back. They played with a lot of conviction, a lot of energy and a lot of urgency," he said.

"We certainly didn't play as well as we would have liked but we showed some really special character to hang in there and win the game with a drop goal."

Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll struggled to talk about the outcome.

"You're level on the board, and then they were a man down for the last seven or eight minutes, so it's difficult to see the positives.

"The fact we've got one more go next week is definitely a positive."

A sell-out 21,000 crowd gathered for the match, the first Test in Christchurch since a series of devastating earthquakes laid waste to much of the inner city in 2010 and last year.

The chilly conditions were not going to deter a city desperate for quality rugby, and the revved-up Irish forwards rocked the All Blacks.

It was a vastly improved Ireland side from that beaten 42-10 in the first Test a week ago and the All Blacks were rarely able to unleash wings Julian Savea and Zac Guildford, who had created havoc in that encounter.

Instead with Mike Ross restored to the front row, Ireland came out on top in the scrum, gaining the ascendancy after conceding the first set piece and pushing the All Black pack around from then on.

Following a period of sustained pressure which tested the All Blacks' defence, Ireland used their lineout as a platform to drive at the line before freeing the ball for scrum-half Conor Murray to dart over for a 10th-minute try.

Sexton added the conversion and a penalty to have Ireland 10-0 ahead before the All Blacks put their first points on the board through a Carter penalty.

As in the first Test, Ireland went off the boil after the opening 20 minutes and as the All Blacks' intensity grew the home side forced errors at the breakdown, closing the gap through penalties.

Ireland went in 10-9 ahead at half time, but the All Blacks unlocked the Irish defence when play resumed.

Sonny Bill Williams crashed into the Ireland pack and as the All Blacks piled in scrum-half Aaron Smith was driven over the line for the try.

Behind on the scoreboard for the first time, Ireland rallied with Sexton adding his second penalty in another strong attacking period that had the All Blacks scrambling to make try saving tackles.

But with that storm weathered, the momentum again swung the other way and Carter's fourth penalty extended the All Blacks' lead to 19-13.

Then Ireland came back with two more Sexton penalties levelling the scores.

Pressure mounted on New Zealand as Adam Thomson joined Kieran Read on the injured list, leaving them only two specialist loose forwards, and Israel Dagg was yellow-carded for a late charge on Rob Kearney.

But at 19-all and a man down, the All Blacks rallied one last time and Carter was there to seal the outcome.

Editor’s note:Yahoo Philippines encourages responsible comments that add dimension to the discussion. No bashing or hate speech, please. You can express your opinion without slamming others or making derogatory remarks.

Instead of filing an opposition, ombudsman prosecutors filed a manifestation yesterday expressing belief that there is no urgent need for Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. to visit his son at the Asian Hospital and Medical Center. “Based on the clinical abstract issued by the Asian Hospital on patient (Cavite) Vice-governor (Jolo) Revilla, which was submitted by accused Revilla in support of his Urgent Motion, Vice-governor Revilla is in stable condition and has stable vital signs, as of March 1, …

Government troops captured Sunday a bomb and weapons factory of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) announced yesterday. Col. Restituto Padilla, AFP spokesman, said the captured bomb and weapons factory is located inside an area controlled by radical Muslim cleric Ustadz Mohammad Ali Tambako at Barangay Dasikil in Mamasapano. …

North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea and vowed "merciless" retaliation Monday as the US and South Korea kicked off joint military drills denounced by Pyongyang as recklessly confrontational. The annual exercises always trigger a surge in military tensions and warlike rhetoric on the divided peninsula, and analysts saw the North's missile tests as a prelude to a concerted campaign of sabre-rattling. "If there is a particularly sharp escalation, we could see the …

CAIRO (AP) — Three British schoolgirls believed to have gone to Syria to become "jihadi" brides. Three young men charged in New York with plotting to join the Islamic State group and carry out attacks on American soil. A masked, knife-wielding militant from London who is the face of terror in videos showing Western hostages beheaded. …

Filipinos aspiring to work overseas should avoid dealing with a recruitment agency that has duped jobseekers worldwide, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said yesterday. The National Bureau of Investigation has padlocked Global Visas Inc., which is based in Cebu. Baldoz said the agency’s parent company, ICS Global Visas Inc. based in the United Kingdom, has reportedly collapsed and left thousands of applicants without jobs. “Global Visas was in the limelight this week, following its reported …

Colleagues of boxing champion Manny Pacquiao at the House of Representatives backed yesterday a proposal to exempt his earnings from his May 2 fight with American Floyd Mayweather from income tax. Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim Henares has urged Pacquiao to promptly pay taxes on his May 2 earnings, which are projected to reach at least $120 million (more than P5.2 billion). …

A solar-powered plane made a third successful test flight in the United Arab Emirates on Monday ahead of a planned round-the-world tour to promote alternative energy. Organisers hope that Solar Impulse 2 may head off around the globe as early as Saturday but caution that the launch is dependent on the weather, even in the relatively cloudless Gulf. The hour-long test flight was the plane's third from the UAE capital Abu Dhabi's small Al-Bateen airport, but the first for Solar Impulse chairman …